Art of treating skins



M. M. MERRITT 2,086,726

7 '-ART OF TREATING SKINS Filed March 10, 1956 Patented July 13, 1937UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to The Tanning Process Company, Boston,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 10, 1936, SerialNo. 68,090

Claims.

This invention relates to treatment of skins following tanningoperations. While the invention will be described with reference to theputting-out of skins and the securing of them to drying boards 5following tanning and/or coloring operations, it will be understood thatthe invention and various characteristics thereof may have otherapplications and uses.

It is an object of this invention to expedite the m processing of skinsfollowing tanning and/or dyeing operations. It is a further object ofthe invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and especially eflicientapparatus for practising a method by which certain operations on skinsmay be facilitated.

To these ends and in accordance with an important characteristic of theinvention a skin is slicked out upon a drying board while still wet withtanning or dyeing solutions and substantially simultaneously therewithis secured to the board around the margin of the skin progressively withthe slicking-out operation on successive portions of the skin until allportions of the latter have been slicked out and secured to the drying aboard. Conveniently the skin and its supporting board are shiftedcontinuously in one direction about an axis normal to the board so thatas the marginal portions of the skin pass by a given station bothputting-out and fastening inserting operations are performed uponsuccessive portions of the skin with the result that at the end of thetravel of the skin all portions thereof have been put out and secured inplace on the drying board.

For practising the method, there is provided an improved apparatuscomprising a rotary work support arranged at a substantial angle to thehorizontal, together with means under the control of an operator torotate the work support so that successive portions thereof and of thework positioned thereon will be brought before the operator standing ata given station, a trough being conveniently provided at the lower sideof the table so that liquids and other waste material scraped from theskins during putting-out operations thereon will be discharged from thetable and conducted away by the trough. Preferably, and as indicated,the work support is provided with a surface layer frictional to a degreesuch 5 that drying boards for skins may be supported upon the inclinedtable without sliding therefrom during the putting-out operations on theskins carried by said drying boards. Because of this frictional surfaceit is not necessary to provide 5g cleats or other devices to hold thedrying board in place on the rotating work supp rt- During the rotationof the table, which is preferably continuously in one directiomtheoperator slicks out the skin progressively. successive portions arebrought before him on the rotating table and the tanning or dyeingliquids and other waste material are discharged into the trough at thelower side of the work support or table.

These and other features and characteristics of the invention will nowbe described in detail in the specification and then pointed out moreparticularly in the appended claims.

In the drawing, v

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus illustrating one embodimentof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a drying board with a skin clicked outthereon.

In the illustrated construction, which is particularly designed for usein putting-out hides or skins upon drying boards, there is provided arotary table 4 fixedly secured to the upper end of a shaft 6 (Fig. 2)mounted in bearings l and it carried by a bracket member I2 secured tothe under side of a floor it. which forms the bottom of a box I.

Upon inspection of Fig. 1 it will be observed that the box It is mountedupon posts'or legs II and 20, the posts being longer than the posts I!so that the box I6 is inclined substantially. whereby liquids expressedfrom a piece of work on the table 4 will tend to collect at the lowerfront end of the box it, a pipe 22 being provided with its upper endopening at one corner of the box to serve as a discharge pipe for anyliquid draining to the lower side of the box It.

In order that the upper work supporting surface of the table 4 mayremain always in the same plane during rotation of the table, itssupporting shaft 6 and the bearings I and II) are supported at an angleto the vertical corresponding to the desired inclination of the uppersurface of said table 4.

Upon inspection of Fig. 2, it will be observed that the bracket i2 isalso provided with two horizontal bearings 24, 28 for a shaft 28 to theouter end of which is secured a pulley 30 about which passes a belt 32(Fig. l) which also passes around a pulley 34 on the armature shaft 36of a motor 38. At the inner end of the shaft 28 there is a worm gearindicated in dotted lines at 39 arranged in mesh with a worm wheel"secured to the lower end of the shaft 8. In this way there is providedmeans for driving the shaft 6 and thus rotating the table 4 continuouslyin one direction at a relatively low'rate of speed predetermined by theratio of the worm gear to the worm wheel 40.

Conveniently the motor 38 is electrically driven and is controlled froma switch (not shown) mounted in a switch box 42 (Fig. llbelow the frontend of the box IS, the switch being controlled through a link connection44 to a treadle 46 pivotally mounted upon a bracket 48 below the frontor lower end of the box H5 in a position readily accessible to the footof the operator who stands at this lower end of the box "5.

While any suitable means may be provided for holding a drying board 52(Fig. 3) against displacement while it is resting on the upper surfaceof the table 4 during rotation of the latter, it has been foundsufficient to provide said upper surface of the table 4 with a sheet ofrubber 50 containing gritty material or otherwise provided with afriction surface so that the drying board does not readily slidethereon; This rubber sheet 50 also protects the upper. surface of thetable'4 from'the waterymaterial expressed from the skins and thusprevents warping of the table 4. 1 It will be understood, of course,that other 25"means may be provided for preventing displacein'ent of thedrying board,such for instance as cleats; properly spaced with respectto the circumference of the table 4, should such be thought desirable.

In operating the apparatus, a drying board such as that shown at 52 inFig. 3 is placed upon the table 4,' after which a skin 54 is thrown uponthe drying board in such-manner as to be at least partially spread out,so that the operator will have no trouble in using his slicker bladein'spreadin'g out the skin and in removing water therefrom. After apreliminary stroke or two of the slicker blade, the operator steps onthe treadle 48 thus initiating rotation of the table 4. Dur- 40 logrotation of the table the operator continues to slick out'successiveportions of the skin as they arepresented to him during the rotation ofthe table. It has been found convenient, and

conducive-to rapid handling of the work, to-have 5another workman standat'either the right or left hand of the operator, depending on theinserted during the rotation of thetable in those portions of the skinwhich have just been slicked out by the'operator handling the slickerblade. The workman who serves as tacker may remove th'e work from thetable 4 at the end of the slick- 55 ing-out and tacking operations whilethe operator is preparing to place another drying board on the table andto superpose a skin thereon preliminarily toanother slicking-out andtacking operation. Having described my invention,- what I claim as newand. desire to secure by Letters Patent 'of the United States is:

"1. That improvement in 1 treating skins fresh from tanning or dyeingsolutions which comprises moving marginal portions of a skin spread outon a drying board continuously past a given station, performingslicking-out operations on successive portions of the skin duringcontinuous movement of the latter, and simultaneously with the slickingout of successive portions of the skin inserting fastenings in marginsof the slickedout portions to secure the skin to the drying board, theinserting of fastenings in the margins following promptly after theslicking out of each successive portion of the skin so that slicking outand fastening inserting operations are being performed substantiallysimultaneously upon successive portions of the skin.

2. Inan apparatus for use in slicking-out operations upon skins andother similar pieces of work, a rotary work support mounted at asubstantial angle to the horizontal, means under the control of theoperator for rotating the work support, and a trough at the lower sideof the work support positioned to receive liquids and other 'wastematerial removed from a skin on the rotary support during putting-outoperations thereon. t

3. In an apparatus for use in the'treatment of skins, a shaft inclinedfrom the vertical, 2. work support secured to the upper end of saidshaft at a substantial angle to the horizontal, means under control ofthe operator to rotate the shaft and work support continuously in onedirection while a skin on the work support is being intermittentlytreated to remove liquid and other waste material therefrom, and atrough at the lower side of the work support positioned to receive suchliquid and other waste materialfrom the skin and the work support.

4. In an apparatus for use in the slick'ing out of skins, a shaftarranged at a substantial angle to the vertical, a table secured to theupper end of the shaft at a substantial angle to the horizontal, saidtable having means to support a drying board having a skin thereonagainst sliding displacement, means under control of the operator torotate thrf table, whereby successive portions of the skin-are presentedfor slickingaout a; ;operations by an operator standing atthe lower'side of the tabla and'a" trough at said lowefside of the table toreceive the liquids and other waste material slicked out from the skins.5. In an apparatus for use in. the slicking out of skins,,a shaftarranged at a substantial angle to the vertical, a table secured to theupper end of the shaft at a substantial angle to the hori zontal, saidtable having a surface of sufficient frictional quality to support adrying board having a skin thereon against sliding displacement, meansunder control of the operatorto rotate the table, whereby successiveportions of the skin are presented for slicking-out operations by anoperator standing at the lower side of the table, and a trough at saidlower side of the table to receive the liquids and the other wastematerial slicked out from the skins.

MATTHEW M. MERRI'I'I.

